Improved glass stopper for bottles



rMiri-3D STATES PATENT yrrrcn.,

S. A. \VHIT NEY, OIF GLASSBOROUGH, NEV JERSEY.

IMPROVED GLASS STOPPER FOR BOTTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 31.046, dated Januaryl, 1861.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, S. A. WHITNEY, of Glassborough, Gloucester county,State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful improvement inGlass-Stoppers for Bottles, Jars, &c.; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

My invention consists of a'glass stopper having a screw-thread, twoshoulders, forming a recess, a cork washer, and a tapering termination,so formed and so arranged as to facilitate the adjustment of the washerto its position within the recess formed by the saidshoulders, and thewhole being constructed A and applied to the neck of a bottle in themanner described hereinafter, and forming a cheap and durable stopper,especially applicable to such bottles as have to be repeatedly refilled,in which case the stopper affords acheap substitute for ordinary corks.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will nowproceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying` drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure l is a vertical section of the top of a bottleprepared for the reception of my improved stopper; Fig. 2, the same,with the stopper in its place; 'Fig'. 8, a vertical section of thestopper detached from the bottle, and Fig. 4:, an inverted plan view ofthe stopper.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents the mouth and part of the neck ofthe bottle', and B theglass stopper. The latter is provided at its upper end with a rlange, a,which may be serrated or roughened at the edge, so as to afford a holdfor the finger and thumb when the stopper has 'to be removed from orreplaced within the neck of the bottle, or in place of this serratedfiange the top of the stopper may have projections, or may be otherwiseso formed as to receive a suitable wrench. Below the iiange a, and onthe body ofthe stopper, the thread d of a screw is formed, a spiralrecess being formed within the neck of the bottle for the reception ofthis thread.

The stopper is reduced 1n diameter near its llower end, so as to formtwo shoulders7 e and f, in the recess, between which is confined the cannular washer h of cork, the stopper belo .v the latter having thetapering termination t', the duty of which will be describedhereinafter.

It will be observed that a shoulder is formed at m in the neck of thebottle, and that the washer bears against this shoulder, with which thelower end of the stopper is free from contact. A perfectly tight jointis thus formed by the compression of the washer between the stopper andthe shoulder m, this compression causing the edge of the washer tobearhard against the inside of the neck.

The stopper is formed by pressing or casting the molten or plastic glassin molds of the desired shape, the process being the same as thatemployed in casting other glass articles.

The attachment of the annular cork washer to the stopper is effected asfollows: The washcr is dropped into the mouth of the bottle, and restson the ledge m. The stopper is then inserted into the mouth and screwedslowly down, when its tapering termination t' will penetrate the openingof the washer and expand it without splitting orcracking the cork,inasmuch as it is confined laterally within the bottles neck. After theshoulder f has passed through the washer, the latter will contract andtake its place in the recess between thetwo shoulders, so that on theremoval of the stopper the washer will be found to adhere so closely toits place that it cannot be readily removed without being cut or broken.

Although the above-described stopper is applicable to a variety ofbottles and jars, it is especially well adapted to andhas been moreespecially designed for use in connection with mineral-water bottles,and such as contain effervescing wines, malt liquors, &c., the corksused in this class of bottles, if not lost, being generally so mutilatedas to be unt for second use when the bottles are refilled.

As the washer 7L is carried by and, in fact, forms a part of thestopper, the latter may be used over and over again as the bottlerequires to be refilled. .Although my improved stopper, therefore, mayin the first instance be more costly than ordinary coi-ks, it is in theend a cheap substitute for the same.

It will be evident that the above-described stopper may be made ofearthenware for application to earthenware bottles.

l' do not desire to ela1n,.brozully, the app1ication of a screw-stopper,with a washer at the end, to the neck of a bottle, inasmuch as metalscrews7 with Washers riveted to the end, have been used in connectionwith faucets; but

I claim as my invention and as a new article of manufacture- The glassstopper l5, its screw-thread (l, shoulders e and j', cork Washer lz, andtapering termination f1', the latter being so formed and so arranged inrespect to the two shoulders as to facilitate the adjustment of the:mono

washer to and confinement within the recess between the said shoulders,in the manner described, and the whole being constructed and adapted tothe neck ofthe bottle and its shoul der m, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

S. A. VIIITNEY.

Tit-messes:

HENRY Howson, CHARLES E. lfosrnn.

